Fall 2012's Haute Couture Collection was, for several houses, a momentous week of firsts. After saying goodbye to Jil Sander this past spring, Raf Simons debuted his first-ever couture collection for Christian Dior. Showing a collection that was deemed unique and unlike anything previously shown at Dior, Simons managed another first, while in the process changing the face of couture forever.

Another first came from Donatella Versace, who showed her collection at the Ritz for the first time, an emotional and significant venue for the house and designer as it was previously used by her deceased brother, Gianni, for over eight years. One of the most noted collections at Couture week was Valentino, headed by Chiuri and Piccioli, who managed to produce a collection that broke off from the traditional designs and colors that had originally stifled and stiffened the house's image and natural progress. As expected, these many firsts produced some of the most magnificent gowns to date. Here are the 18 most gorgeous and jaw-dropping gowns seen in Paris at this year's Fall 2012 Haute Couture Week.

Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Davidson joined theFashionSpot team as Managing Editor in November 2010. Prior to joining the tFS team, Jennifer produced fashion segments for television and was the co-founder of style and shopping site StyleBakery.com.